Means for operating signals automatically at level crossings, &amp;c.



No. 695,498. Patented MarQIS, I902.

L. SEMAT. MEANS FOR OPERATING SIGNALS AUTOMATICALLY AT'LEVEL GROSSINGS, &c.,

(Application filed Jan. 2. 1902.! v

2 Sheets-Sheet I.

(No Model.)

THE nomus PETERS co. PHOTO-LITNQ, WASHINGTON, o c.

No. 695,498. Patented Mar. l8, I902.

L. SEMAT. MEANS FOR OPERATING SIGNALS AUTOMATICALLY AT LEVEL GBOSSINGS, 8w.

(Application filed ban. 2, 1902'.)

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

v (No Model.)

UNITED. STATES;

I PATENT OFFICE."

LAURENT sEMAT, or CAIRO, EGYPT.

MEANS FOR OPERATING SIGNALS AUTOMATICALLY AT LEVEL CROSSINGS, &c.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 695,498, dated March 18, 1902. Application filed January 2, 1902. an No. 88,150. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, LAURENT SEMAT, a citizen of the Republic of France, residing at Cairo, Egypt, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in or Relating to Means for Operating Signals Automatically at Level Crossings and the Like, (for which I have made application forLetters Patent inFrance, No. 312,979, dated July 25,1901; in Germany, dated July 30, 1901; in England, dated July 29,1901; in Belgium, dated September 16, 1901; in Austria, dated September 18, 1901; in Spain, dated October 26, 1901; in Russia, dated October 24:, 1901, and in Italy, dated November 5, 1901,) of which the following is a specification.

The present inventionrelates to means for automatically working the signals in connection with the gates or barriers of a level crossing or the like. According to this invention the barriers, whether they slide in grooves or turn on hinges, automatically operate the signals when they are opened or closed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective View ofa sliding gate or barrier to which my invention is applied. Fig. 2 is a similar View to Fig. 1 of the invention applied to a barrier turning on hinges.

My invention consists in placing on one of the uprights of one of the barriers a signal visible during the day and a lamp or nightsignal, these signals being so arranged that they occupy ordinary positions which il1(1i cate, respectively, whether the road is clear or not. The operation of the signals takes place automatically and in such a manner that, first, when the two barriers are completely open for traffic across the track the railway-signal indicates danger for the railroad, while the signal for the road indicates way clear. This last indication is onlyshown when both barriers are completely open; second, when either of the two barriers begins to close the railway-signal remains at danger, whilethe road-signal immediately comes to the'danger position; third, when the two barriers areccompletely closed the railroad-signal indicates way clear and the signal for the road continues to indicate danger; fourth, when one or both of the barriers begins to open for the road the railway-signal immediately changes to danger,

the road-signal still indicating danger until the barriers are completely open. example represented in the drawings the daysignals, which indicate these various situa- In the;

tions, are formed of movable arms 0 and d of inovableyertically about their axes, so that they indicate danger when they are horizontal and way clear? when they are inclined. The night-signals are given by the light of lanterns f and g, withany system of lighting, arranged, like the arms 0 and d, facing their respective roads. lanterns operate, according to the positions of the barriers, red glasses h and t, The white lightof the lanternindicates that the way is clear and the red light that the way is obstructed. The operation of these signals being' automatically effected by the barriers,it would be impossible withoutdamaging the apparatus to make the signals indicate other situations than those indicated by the four phases cited above, with the exception of the situation danger, which could in case of necessity be indicated by hand by an official at the barrier, even at amoment when the position of the gates would normally cause In front of these the apparatus to indicate way clear. This are respectively attached to the signal arms or semaphores c and data certain'distance from the pivot of said arms. Eachrod is Z has an eye or loop through which one arm on n, respectively, of double-armed or U levers pass, the latter being hinged to the post e, and carry at their free ends red glasses hand i. The connection thus established between the rods and Z and the day and night signals assures the simultaneous operation ofthese signals, so as to make them produce the same indications, respectively, for the same road or track. hen the system is applied to sliding barriers, as represented in Fig. 1, the rods 70 and Z are connected again near the upper level of the corresponding barrier to levers 0 and p, which in their turn are fixed to pivots secured to the post e. These pivots carry at their other ends other levers q and '1', provided, preferably, with rollers. Then the system is applied to barriers turning on hinges, the rods 7; and Z are connected directly with the levers q and 1'.

It will be seen from the above that the working of the signals is dependent as much on the movement of one of the barriers as on that of the other and that the signals are only respectively in their opposite positions when both barriers are either completely open or completely closed. 'For this purpose the levers q and 9' are united by their axles to the levers 0 and 1), arranged similarly to them on the post e and symmetrically on the opposite post 10. Each pair of levers 0 q and p r on the post 6 is connected to the pair on the other post w by the prolongation of the rods Z: and Z, jointed to angle-levers u e, which transmit the movement to other angle-levers similar to u v on the post w, rods y y uniting the levers u and 'u of the post 10 to the corresponding levers o and p.

The working of the mechanism is effected by the opening and closing movement of the barriers. To this end these barriers are pro vided with slightlydifferent devices, according to whether they are sliding or hinged barriers. Taking for example the sliding barriers illustrated in Fig. 1, the upper longitudinal portion j of each of the barriers a and b is formed in such a manner as to provide at the beginning and end of its course inclined surfaces 8 and 15, connected by a flat straight surface. As regards the barriers turning on hinges, in which the movement of opening and closing takes place by rotation of these barriers around their posts, the upperportionj of the sliding barriers is replaced by a curved surface somewhat in the form of a sector a, fixed at one of its ends to the upper part of the barrier and extending around the post, having as its center the pivot of the barrier. This sector ,2 has, like the plate j, curved or bent surfaces 8 and t, which are united by a straight fiat portion to produce the same effects as the surfaces 8 and t of the sliding barriers. In both types of barrier rep resented in Figs. 1 and 2 when the barriers are completely closed, thus barring the way to road trailic, the roller of the lever g, which operates the railway signals, rests on the lowermost part of the inclined surfaces of the plate j or .2, according to the type of barrier employed. The lowered lever q thus allows the rod 7; to descend, and with it the days1 gnal c and night glass signal it are lowered to indicate that the railroad is free. During this movement the roller of the lever 'r, on the contrary, rests on the straight part of the plate, which thus keeps it in its raised position, so that the rod Z and signals 61 and i indicate that the road is barred to pedestrians and vehicles. When one of the barriers is operated-the barrier a, for example-in opening and as soon as it begins to move, the inclined surface s raises the lever q and causes the signals 0 and 77. of the railroad to occupy the position which indicates that the line is not free, this taking place before the road-signals indicate that the road is free. This last operation is effected by means of the interconnection of the similar operating mechanism of the two barriers.

It has been stated that, the barriers being closed, as soon as one of them is moved to be opened the corresponding lever q is lifted by the inclined surface 3, thus causing the signals c and h immediately to indicate dangerfor the line. During this movement the lever r is sustained in its raised position by the horizontal partj, so that the signals '5 and (1 indicate at the same time danger for the road. It is only when the first barrier operated brings its inclined surface if under the lever 1 that this lever can drop under its own weight; but this dropping of the lever r can only take place simultaneously with that of the similar lever r of the other barrier Z), which movement cannot take place until this barrier 1) brings in its turn its inclined surface 15 under the corresponding lever 7--Z. c., when the said barrier is completely open. Only then will the rod Z be operated by the simultaneous fall of the two levers 7' to indicate that the road is free. This movement being reciprocal for the one as for the other of the barriers, the same operations are effected when one or the other barrier begins used to indicate the luminous signals on the four sides. Further, by means of suitable transmission devices or connections similar signals to those on the barrierean be repeated on posts placed at a distance from the crossing. Such additional signal would of course only be used for the railroad, and in this case only a railway-track signal would be operated.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-- 1. An automatically-acting signal system for railway level crossings and the like comprising a double mechanism operated by the movement of the barriers in opening and closing,-the said mechanism consisting of a signal for the railway-track and a signal for the roadway, a plate on the barrier having inclined portions at predetermined points and pivoted levers resting nponsaid plate and connected to'their respective signals, substantially as set forth.

2. A device of the kind described compris- 5 ing a railway-track signal and a roadwaytrack signal, a plate on one barrier having inclined portions at'predetermined points,

pivoted levers resting on the plate and rods connecting thelevers to their signals, and 10 means for transmitting the action of one set 

